Rab Electron Women's Down Jacket | Review

Athena Mellor takes the Rab Electron down jacket trekking through Nepal on the Annapurna Circuit

Published: Monday 16th April 2018

The Rab Electron Jacket is a mid-weight, technical down jacket designed to support you throughout the year. I recently tested it out on a hiking trip in Nepal, pushing it through -25 degree temperatures and a range of hardy elements and it came up trumps. It performed so well that I now consider it an essential item for all my future backpacking trips.

Design

Rab have paid extra attention to some key design details on the Electron Jacket that push it past plenty of its competitors. With a women’s fit, the jacket clinches in slightly at the waist (without being too dramatic) and it has a reduced down fill on certain panels where extra warmth isn't needed (such as under the arms), therefore keeping the weight lower and the comfort level higher. The hood is designed to fit comfortably over a climbing or mountaineering helmet and it can also be folded away easily with Velcro straps. There are two generously-sized zipped handwarmer pockets, and there's also an inner chest pocket which I find to be essential. The Rab Electron features toggled drawcords to tighten the jacket around the hem and hood to trap heat in on those cold camping evenings.

The Rab Electron, available in men's and women's fits

Athena Mellor

A particular favourite feature for me are the elasticated stretch woven cuffs which hold closely enough to the wrists while still being stretchy enough to pull over the cuffs of your gloves.

Women's Rab Electron

Performance

Filled with 170g of 800 fill power European Goose Down in stitch-through baffles, the jacket provides efficient insulation at a low weight. Having worn the Electron in -25 degrees and 20mph winds when trekking in Nepal, I can confirm that it was excellent at keeping body heat while also being breathable – I never found myself sweating, even when trekking hard at 5000m altitudes. The Pertex Endurance outer fabric meant the jacket was protective against the strong Himalayan winds, and was also water resistant if the weather changed quickly. On top of this, the down is able to keep its loft and provide good insulation even in light to medium rain thanks to the Nikwax hydrophobic treatment. This is free of any fluorocarbons – chemicals that have been found to be environmentally hazardous.

Rab Electron Women's Jacket: Conclusion

The Electron Jacket was a bit of a lifesaver when I was trekking in Nepal as the temperatures were much lower for that time of year than normal, and the conditions were grittier than we had expected. The jacket provided everything necessary to cope with this and it had the convenience of being light enough to not feel a burden to carry for two weeks of strenuous hiking.

A small stuff sack is provided.

Athena Mellor

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a down jacket that you can wear all year, either just with a baselayer or with a number of different types of layers, the Rab Electron Jacket is the perfect choice. Covering all bases with a high-quality down fill, durable outer fabric and low weight and size; you can fit it into a small stuff-sack, throw it on top of your rucksack and barely even notice it’s there.